Ex-LFHS Teacher Accused Of 'Inappropriate' Contact With Students

LAKE FOREST, IL — District 115 administrators asked school board members to remove the name of former drama teacher David Miller from the school's theater Friday after learning of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

Superintendent Michael Simeck said in a statement that administrators received word that an alumnus reported Miller had an "inappropriate relationship" with him more than 30 years ago, while he was a student at Lake Forest High School.

Simeck did not say when he learned of the report, but he said district staff immediately reported the incident to local police and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Law enforcement authorities recently concluded that there will be no charges filed in connection with the report, according to Simeck.

"During this investigation, we learned that additional past students had lodged similar allegations with law enforcement," Simeck said. "Additionally, the District received more detailed revelations regarding Mr. Miller's 2009 separation from employment for similar conduct and ban from campus by the prior District administration."

Simeck subsequently said administrators reviewed more than 200 pages of text message exchanges between Miller and former students.

No further details were immediately available Friday regarding the ban or any separation agreements with the district. Miller could not be reached for comment Friday evening.

A special meeting of the District 115 board was called for Friday evening. Following a closed-door discussion of litigation against the district, board members were due to approve resolutions renaming the theater space and removing Miller's name from the Lake Forest High School Alumni Walk of Fame.

Rick Wolfgram, a member of the LFHS class of 1988, identified himself as the graduate who came forward to report Miller's misconduct during the period of the meeting allocated to public comment.

"From the moment I got involved in stage crew my freshman year, Dave Miller targeted me as a vulnerable student. He groomed me and built my trust, telling me I was a 'special friend,'" Wolfgram said.

Wolfgram said he gave a statement to Lake Forest police last fall and began his own investigation into Miller's misconduct with the help of fellow Lake Forest High School alum John Bollman, who has become and advocate for sexual abuse victims after coming forward to describe his experience with convicted former Lake Bluff Junior High teacher Charles Ritz. He said they found many other victims from throughout Miller's career.

"Dave Miller had a playbook," Wolfgram said. "With surgical precision he targeted and groomed vulnerable students like me, including children with single parents, children of divorce, children of alcoholics, children who had to stay with relatives to escape their parents."

Wolfgram said he knew at least one other victim of the teacher's abuse had already spoken to police; another is likely in a mental health crisis and other victims have yet to be located.

"We will leave no victim behind," he said. "However, we can't do it alone and it is not our responsibility. It is your responsibility."

Bollman said he had encountered a broad spectrum of responses from leaders of organizations whose members are accused of sexual abuse.

"I hope you all appreciate the bravery and courage that it takes to come forward," Bollman said.

"While there is much to learn about the impact of Dave Miller during his tenure at Lake Forest High School, the facts we know presently indicate the district had an employee who was responsible for a great deal of harm," he said.

Simeck said he found Wolfgram's account to be credible.

"It is also shockingly similar to those expressed throughout these hundreds of pages of text messages. I found them horrifying to read," the superintendent said. "So although we understand that today's actions can't remove the memory of what Rick has experienced and some other students, I do want to say that the district has zero tolerance for his type of misconduct. We want that to be a clear message."

Board President Dave Lane thanked Wolfgram for his courage in coming forward and publicly sharing his account of abuse. Lane assured him the board would take action.

"We thank you for making us aware so that we can take action, and we thank you for sharing this information because it's this type of sharing and this type of courage that prevents other people from having to go through the pain and suffering that you went through," Lane said. "Doing these kinds of things helps prevent other people from sharing similar painful experiences, and so, as a board, we thank you."

In his statement ahead of the meeting, Simeck said board members would be sending the message that they do not tolerate misconduct by voting in favor of the removal. The superintendent said the district has mandatory annual compliance training and planned to hire an outside consultant to review its policies, procedures and training regarding sexual misconduct.

Board members voted unanimously to remove Miller's name from the Wall of Fame and studio theater. Member Tomas Nemickas was absent from the June 19 special meeting.

Lake Forest High School's studio theater was named after Miller following the 2002 school year, according to a feature in the Forest Scout, the school's newspaper. Miller headed up the theater's tech crew from 1966 to 2009, it said.

Miller was also one of the founders of the LFHS telecom department, according to a 2017 Daily North Shore report on the program's 50th anniversary celebration.

"I was very much taken with the idea that kids need a home turf," Miller said at the time. "They need a place where they feel welcome."